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Office spaces continue to shrink

A new survey from industry group CoreNet Global reaffirms what most people who work in an office already know: individual office spaces are getting smaller and smaller.

And that trend shows no signs of abating anytime soon. The survey of 465 corporate users found that 40 percent of companies plan to reduce the allocation of office space per person to 100 square feet or less within the next 5 years.

The average space per worker in 2017 will be 151 square feet, compared to 176 square feet today and 225 in 2010.

The survey results mirror the strategies of most corporate users represented by Jones Lang LaSalle, all of whom are looking to use space more efficiently in an era of increased scrutiny on overhead expenditures.

Telecommuting, shared workspaces and a decreased need for paper document storage are other factors driving the trend.